Building Your Own Wreath Base: Wire, Foam and Other Options
A handful of inexpensive materials — foam board, cardboard, clothes hangers, pipe insulation and paddle wire — can be turned into a reusable wreath foundation. The fastening method changes with the base: wire and ties suit hanger frames, while hot glue works better on foam. Seasonal decorating possibilities extend well past Christmas.
By Kai Gray
How to Make a Wire Wreath Frame
A handmade wreath brings charm to any doorway, and the craft isn't limited to the Christmas season. Whether you want fall, winter, spring or summer decor, you can build your own base and then decorate it however you like. Putting the frame together requires only a modest set of supplies and tools, and the process moves quickly.
Fashioning a Form From Foam and Cardboard
Foam core combined with cardboard makes a straightforward wreath form. Put the foam core sheet down on a flat work surface, set a flat round pan on top of it, and draw a light circle around the pan. Then use a protractor to mark a wider circle surrounding that one. A utility knife is used to cut along the outer circle, after which the center is removed. Attach the foam ring to the cardboard ring with glue. Foam core also lends itself to other outlines, including stars and squares.
Pipe insulation offers another route to a frame. Join the two ends so they form a circle, then secure the joint firmly with duct tape or a comparable tape. A third approach starts with a clothes hanger: stretch it until it becomes a circle, a heart or another shape. The hook on such a wire wreath can serve as a hanger, or it can be removed with wire cutters. Pipe insulation can also be wrapped around this wire base.
Scaling Up With a Multi-Hanger Wire Frame
When you want a bigger wire wreath frame, take three hangers and shape each into a circle, sizing one large and making the remaining two each 2 inches smaller. For instance, a first circle of 12 inches in diameter would be followed by one of 10 inches and then one of 8 inches. Use wire cutters to take off the hook ends, then close each circle by twisting with pliers.
Fabric scraps can be used instead to build a frame held together with ties. No matter which route you take, the connection points need to be spaced evenly. On the largest hanger circle you can either leave the hook in place or add a different sort of hanging attachment.
Constructing a Fall Wreath on Wire
For a basic fall wreath built on the three-hanger frame, gather assorted greenery and additional decorations. Fir, laurel, boxwood, juniper and cedar branches work well, as do sage, rosemary, rose hips, beautyberry, seed pods and pine cones. Cut the materials into lengths between 4 inches and 8 inches, then sort them into groups by type.
Take a small handful of pieces and adjust them until the arrangement looks right. Bind the bunch tightly by wrapping green paddle wire around it several times. Set that bunch onto the frame and begin the next grouping. Keep going in this manner, making each bundle the same size and securing it with additional wire. Each bundle goes on top of the one before it, with a slight overlap, and gets fastened with more wire as you proceed. Pine cones and similar items can be added too, with the wire concealed beneath the greenery.
On a foam core base, hot glue is what holds everything in place. Frames of this type are a good match for decorations that wrap all the way around, such as fabric ribbons. A wreath doesn't have to go on a door; set on a table with candles in the center, it looks particularly attractive. Plenty of DIY wreath photos can be found online if you need inspiration.
